Cherry Jam

If you’re new to making homemade jam, this cherry jam recipe is a good place to start. It’s made with just four ingredients, and in-season sour cherries are the star. Of the types of cherries, sour varieties are best because the added sugar in the recipe will help cut the tartness. The resulting jam won’t be too puckering or too cloying.

The fruit cooks for just a few moments, so the jam doesn’t taste boiled and lip-smackingly sour, like some long-simmered jams can. Instead, the short boiling time captures the peak flavor of fresh fruit. Spreadable yet studded with chunks of cherries, it’s one of our favorite homemade jam recipes. Next time you spot a pint of sour cherries at the farmers market, scoop them up, and get ready to jam on!

How to Water Bath Can

This jam is processed in a water bath, which will seal the jars and make them safe to store at room temperature. You’ll process the jam as soon as it’s finished cooking, so make sure to set up the water bath in advance.

Fill a large canning pot or stock pot at least halfway with water. It should be deep enough to cover the jars by one inch. Set a silicone pot holder or metal rack on the bottom of the pot—placing jars straight into the pot makes them more likely to crack. Bring the water to a boil and place clean, empty jars inside. Boil them for 10 minutes to sterilize them. Carefully, remove each jar with tongs, drain the water, and set on a clean, dry towel. You should also wash the jar lids and rings in hot, soapy water. (You don’t have to sterilize them.)

Have handy a wet paper towel, a clean spoon and knife, a funnel and tongs for lifting hot jars. Clear a safe space away from direct sunlight, where the jars can sit for 24 hours.

Cherry Jam Ingredients

• Fresh tart cherries: Also known as sour cherries, tart cherries are ideal for jam since they have firm flesh and a richer cherry flavor than sweeter varieties. Pit the cherries using a cherry pitter, metal straw or even a bent paper clip.
• Powdered fruit pectin: Adding store-bought pectin to fruit jam ensures that it will set into the ideal jam texture without you having to boil the fruit for so long that it loses its fresh flavor. You may use low-sugar pectin here, if you prefer a less-sweet jam; just follow the directions on the package.
• Butter: Adding a bit of butter to the fruit will help to reduce the foam that rises when the jam boils. (The foam isn’t harmful, but since it contains bubbles you should scoop it out of the pan so it doesn’t end up in the jars.)
• Sugar: Plain white granulated sugar both sweetens the jam and helps the jam to set. As sugar cooks, it melts then hardens (think of making caramel, for example). As the jam boils, the sugar helps it to “gel,” giving it a thick, spreadable texture.

Directions

Step 1: Chop the cherries

In a food processor, cover and process the cherries in batches until they’re finely chopped. You can also chop the cherries by hand, it’ll just be a bit more work.

Editor’s Tip: Make sure to stop chopping while the cherries still have some texture; you don’t want to puree the fruit.

Step 2: Cook the jam

Transfer the chopped cherries to a Dutch oven. Stir in the pectin and butter. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in the sugar, then return the pot to a full rolling boil. Boil and stir for one minute.

Editor’s Tip: Always add powdered pectin at the very beginning of the cooking process. It needs heat to properly activate.

Step 3: Portion the jam into jars and prep for canning

Remove the pot from heat. Skim the foam off the top of the jam. While it’s still very hot, ladle the mixture into six hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch of headspace at the top. Remove air bubbles by gently running a clean knife into the jam. If the jam levels go down, add extra hot mixture to maintain the correct amount of headspace. Wipe the rims clean. Center the lids on the jars. Screw on the bands until they’re just fingertip tight.

Editor’s Tip: Don’t overtighten the jar lids. For a proper seal, they should only be “fingertip tight,” which means that as you’re spinning the bands to close the jars, apply gentle pressure only (use a single fingertip if you want to be precise), and stop as soon as the lid feels tight. This ensures that air can escape from under the lid, creating the optimal seal.

Step 4: Process the jam in a water bath

Place the jars into a canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, process for five minutes. With tongs, carefully remove the jars and set them somewhere safe to cool. You should hear pings as the lids seal.

Editor’s Tip: The processing time listed is for altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. Add 1 minute to the processing time for each 1,000 feet of additional altitude. After 24 hours of cooling, check that the lids have sealed by pressing the dimple in the center of the lids. If any one of the jars didn’t seal, the jam is still safe to eat, but is not safe to store at room temperature. Transfer unsealed jars to the refrigerator and eat the jam within a few weeks.

Recipe Variations

We usually love to change up recipes, but in the case of preserves, jams and jellies, it’s not safe to alter the written recipe. The ratios of sugar, acid and pectin are too crucial for food safety. However, if you want to try other cherry jam recipes, we have some tasty options.

• Try a mixed-fruit jam recipe: Cherry-raspberry jam sweetens the sour cherries with ripe raspberries.
• Make a recipe with rhubarb: If you don’t love pitting cherries, this cherry rhubarb jam calls for cherry gelatin and cherry pie filling rather than fresh fruits.
• Make this stone-fruit jam recipe: Cherries and peaches are in season at the same time, which makes this chunky cherry peach preserve perfect for the peak of summer.

How to Store Cherry Jam

Keep all sealed jars of cherry jam in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, such as a pantry or cellar. Label them with the recipe and processing date. Once opened, store jars in the refrigerator.

How long does cherry jam last?

In sealed jars, cherry jam will last for one year at room temperature. Once opened, cherry jam will keep for up to six months in the refrigerator. To keep the jam fresh as long as possible, put only clean utensils into the jar. Dirty utensils can introduce bacteria that can lead to moldy jam.

Can you freeze cherry jam?

Yes, you can make freezer jam with this cherry jam recipe. Prepare the recipe as written through Step 3, but leave 1/2-inch of headspace in the jars rather than 1/4-inch (the jam will expand when frozen). Screw on the lids fingertip-tight. Leave the jars at room temperature for 24 hours to cool completely, then transfer them to the freezer. Freeze the jam for up to one year. Defrost the jam in the refrigerator before opening the jar.

Cherry Jam Tips

What’s the best way to pit cherries?

It’s true, pitting cherries is a bit of a chore. To pit cherries easily, we suggest investing in a cherry pitter, which really does simplify the task. If you don’t have one, consider using a reusable metal straw instead. Push the straw up through the bottom of the cherry, pressing out both pit and stem at once. As with husking corn or shelling peas, this task is best enjoyed sitting outside, especially with company and a cool drink.

Can you adjust the sugar content for cherry jam?

There’s no way around it; jams (and most preserves) contain large amounts of sugar. The sugar is necessary to properly thicken the jam and activate the pectin. Do not reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe. You may, however, use low-sugar pectin here to cut down the sweetness a bit.

What are some good uses for cherry jam?

It’s hard to beat a plain piece of toast slathered with cherry jam, unless you’re topping scones with cherry jam. You could also spoon a dollop of cherry jam into the dent of a buttery thumbprint cookie. Serve a dollop of cherry jam on a charcuterie board with crackers and a bowl of nuts (especially almonds). More ways to use up jam include swirling it into overnight oats or ice cream, sweetening a milkshake or filling doughnuts.